


Fairies' Christmas

by hordecatra



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Christmas, Gen, Implied ErLu
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-26
Updated: 2018-12-26
Packaged: 2019-09-27 13:06:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,527
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17162501
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hordecatra/pseuds/hordecatra
Summary: A rewrite of the Christmas omake.





	Fairies' Christmas

Lucy just never seemed to learn, did she? The thought flashed through her mind as she opened the door to her apartment and was, for some reason, surprised to find her friends crowded inside. Grins were plastered to their faces, and Erza was holding an unopened bottle of sake – though by the looks of it, it wasn’t her first drink. Or anyone else’s (except Wendy, thankfully).

“Merry Christmas!” said all but Gajeel, who appeared characteristically unenthusiastic. He was seated alone with a scowl on his face.

“Yeah, yeah,” huffed Lucy. She crossed her arms. “But what’re you all doing here? I thought there’s a party going on at the guild.” She'd been planning on attending it herself, but had decided to stop at home for some downtime first; though she loved spending time with everyone there, it could certainly be a bit much at times. 

“There is, but your place is way more fun!” Natsu replied with a grin, to which she rolled her eyes.

Erza, decked out in Christmas getup, shoved a cup into Lucy's hands before she could protest. To be fair, her mind was elsewhere in that moment; her friend’s low-cut dress was a bit… distracting, to say the least.

“Come on,” said the redhead as she poured Lucy a drink. “It’s Christmas; relax and enjoy yourself.”

Lucy stared at her for a moment in silence before exhaling a begrudging sigh. “Fine.” She took a sip of the warm alcohol, deciding that this was probably for the best. At least things would be much calmer here than at the guild; they all knew better than to brawl in her home. Last time they'd tried, everyone involved had received a swift kick to the behind.

“That’s the spirit,” chimed in Natsu. Though she shot him a half-hearted glare, she found herself unable to suppress a little smile.

“Can we eat now?” came Gray’s demand. “I’m starving!”

“Sure,” said Lucy, placing a hand on her forehead, “but only if you put your clothes back on!” As he sheepishly pulled his shirt down over his head, something occurred to Lucy. “Wait, I don't have anything cooked since I tho–“

“Don’t worry,” interjected Erza. “I brought turkey from the guild.” With that, she dutifully strode off toward the kitchen.

“More like stole,” Levy muttered once their friend was out of earshot. Lucy snorted.

Dinner was delicious, of course, and filled with laughter and good-natured teasing. As she ate, Lucy looked around at everyone’s smiling faces, finding herself grateful for their company. She really did love them all a lot, annoying as they could be at times.

Wendy and Carla left soon after they’d finished eating; everyone else was beginning to lose themselves in alcohol, and Carla was loathe to expose Wendy to such behavior. Understandably, she’d been quite adamant about that. 

Tears streamed down Juvia’s face as the pair departed. 

“I feel so bad for making them uncomfortable,” she sniffled, wiping at her eyes with a sleeve. Sinking down onto the couch, she put her feet up and pulled her knees to her chest.

“Aw, Juvia, it’s alright,” Lucy cooed, sitting down beside her and resting a hand on her shoulder. She smiled despite herself and had to raise a hand to her mouth to hide it. 

Her eyes wandered as she rubbed Juvia’s back. Natsu, Gray, and Gajeel were arguing, of course, over God knew what, and Lucy watched with a goofy grin as Levy stumbled over to them. Her hands went straight for Gajeel’s hair, and she began stroking it appreciatively.

“What the hell’re you doing?!” snapped the dragonslayer, whipping around to face her with wide eyes. His face was a mask of shock and confusion.

“It’s so pretty,” giggled Levy, reaching for another dark lock. Gajeel quickly shoved her hand away, only for her to rush in with both hands and grab ahold of a good chunk of his hair before he could react. “Can I braid it? Please?” she plead.

Smirking, Lucy nudged Juvia, hoping the scene unfolding before them would lighten her mood. Her friend was unresponsive, though. Just as Lucy began to say her name, another voice cut in. 

“Hey!” It was Erza. She stood in the middle of the room with a startlingly intense look on her face. In fact, she seemed… borderline angry. “Quit yelling at each other! Let’s actually _do_ something!” She clutched a half-full bottle of sake in one hand, and a cup full of what appeared to be popsicle sticks in the other.

Gray leaned in toward Natsu and spoke quietly into his ear, but his words were still audible enough to the others: “Says the only one who’s really yelling.”

Erza spun around to face him. There was a dangerous look in her eyes. “Quiet!” she shouted. “We’re going to play the guild master game!” She presented the cup to everyone as she spoke.

Lucy furrowed her brow, and the others looked equally as confused – all except for Gray. “Erza, I don’t think this is a good idea,” he warned her, standing up.

“What is it?” asked Lucy.

“Each stick has a number, and only one has the master’s crest,” Erza began. “Everyone takes a stick, and whoever becomes the master must issue an order. For example, number five must slap number eight. And the master’s orders are _absolute_.”

Erza had a devious look to her, and though a part of her knew this was dangerous, the prospect of it all brought an amused smile to the tipsy Lucy's face. Levy was too focused on Gajeel’s hair to have much of a reaction, but the boys all looked horrified.

“No way!” protested Natsu, balling his hands into fists.

“Are you crazy? I ain’t doing that,” Gajeel added aggressively. 

Gray wasn’t given a chance to get a word in. Erza stepped forward threateningly before he could speak, though he seemed desperate to add his own objection. “Too bad – we’re doing it!” she countered.

“Lay off, Erza,” said Gray, meeting her head on. “Nobody wants to play your stupid game, so give it a rest."

Lucy stood up on slightly unsteady legs, quickly approaching before the situation could worsen. 

“C’mon, Erza,” she implored cautiously. "Maybe we should do something else."

She turned to meet her gaze, and they stared at each other in silence for a few agonizing moments. Erza's expression was unreadable, and Lucy found herself wondering how Natsu and Gray had the mental strength to challenge her day after day. Eventually, Erza looked away with gritted teeth. Nobody said anything as she drew in a deep breath, exhaled slowly, and walked off.

"Erza–" Lucy began, but the slam of the front door stopped her short.

An uncomfortable silence settled over the room. Lucy stared off into the distance, trying to process what had just happened. No one seemed sure of what to think or say. It wasn't long before she came to her senses, and Lucy quickly jogged off after Erza, grabbing a coat on her way. As she opened the door, she heard the others murmuring to each other incredulously. Some sounded irritated, while others were surprised. _"I can't believe she didn't argue with her,"_ someone whispered.

Lucy was met with a blast of cold air as she opened the door. She looked around briskly before lowering her gaze to see Erza sitting forlornly on the front step, facing the street. Her heart twisted at the sight.

"Hey, what's wrong?" she asked softly, taking a seat beside her.

Erza didn't move. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Obviously something's up," Lucy replied with a frown. Her friend said nothing, and she couldn't figure out what else to say. In that moment, Lucy suddenly became acutely aware of the other's clothing – or lack thereof. "You must be freezing. Here, take this." As she spoke, Lucy took off her coat and draped it around Erza.

Erza put her head in her hands. "I'm sorry for the way I acted in there," she said quietly. "I just... seeing everyone getting along so well – Gajeel and Levy, you and Juvia... I just felt left out, I guess." She clutched her hair tightly. "Sometimes I feel so alone." Her voice came out sounding thick.

Seeing Erza in such a state was so _strange_. It was rare that she let herself be vulnerable like this, and Lucy found herself wondering just how often she felt this way when they were all together. The thought made her eyes sting with tears.

" _I'm_ sorry. You shouldn't have to feel that way, ever," Lucy said earnestly. "I promise you, you're never alone. I'll always be here for you if you ever need to talk. And if you're ever feeling left out or anything, feel free to come hang with me, okay?" She wrapped an arm around her and pulled her in for a hug.

Though she was smiling weakly, her friend's eyes were watery as she looked up. "Thank you, Lucy," she murmured, leaning into her and letting her eyes fall shut.

Snow began to fall as they shared their embrace, drifting lazily to the ground and nearly lulling the pair to sleep.


End file.
